Lake Michigan

This 2018-2019 series focuses on Lake Michigan, narrated by “Prayer during a storm on the sea” by Fanny Neuda (Stunden der Andacht. Prague: 1855, p 125). I relocated to the mid-west five years ago, not expecting Lake Michigan to have the same impact on me as the ocean. However, the lake is stunning, ever-changing and draws me in deeply. Like the sea, gravitational forces of the sun, moon and the wind cause its waves to be both treacherous and serene. Different from the sea, immersing in its fresh water feels cleansing and ritualistic. In many traditions, ritual baths or pools are used for spiritual purification. Although in many cases, water is contained in vessels, natural bodies of water still function as ritual cleansing baths in their most primal form. I am accompanying these photographs of Lake Michigan with original text from Fanny Neuda, who wrote personal interpretations of Hebrew prayers in her German tongue in the mid-1800s. For me, this links the concept of traditional prayer with water as conduit to spiritual purity.